The Best Guide to South Island Skifields with Young Kids in Tow
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How family friendly are the 20 ski fields of the South Island? We've visited all 20 with kids ranging in age from 0- 8 years old, and popped together all the info you need to know about skiing these ski fields with kids in tow.
Rainbow Ski Area
(Club Skifield)
Cost
Free age: Under 7 year olds
Full mountain: Youth $70, Adults $125, Family $330
Learners Passes: Youth $45, Adults $80
Accommodation
The closest accommodation to the skifield is in St Arnaud. Nelson Lakes Motels are the cheapest family option, and it’s around 1 hour to the top of the mountain from here.
Access road & parking
The road is gravel, however not too rough. If you have chains, you’ll be fine in a 2WD almost all winter. You can get a park basically right outside the base buildings. There is also a shuttle operating daily from the skifield turn-off.
Rental Gear
You can rent gear on the mountain.
Ski school / Childcare:
Kids lessons are 1.5 hours long and $50 each which is one of the more affordable options. You could also mix together 3x 1.5 hour group lessons to have almost a full day of lessons for kids for $150.
Indoor spaces:
Non-ski club members can sit inside the café area. It’s got decent space for bag storage, and a view directly to the beginners slope, but you can’t see the learners slope however.
Learners’ areas:
1x tow rope, 1x poma
The learner’s area has a good grade to it, however the next step up of the poma is on the opposite side of the mountain. It makes it hard to supervise 2 kids at different beginner capabilities.
Rest of mountain:
1x t-bar, 1x nutcracker
The t-bar can get you around almost the whole mountain so no need to learn how to use the nutcracker.
There’s a little terrain park with some boxes, plus natural feature jumps. The view over to Lake Rotoiti from the viewpoint at top of the t-bar is pretty amazing!
Non-skiers:
If you’ve come up to visit the snow as a non-skiing family, there is some snow play space below the base area. It’s a suggested koha of $10 per adult and $5 per child to help the club with road maintenance costs.
Best recommendations:
This is a great friendly ski area which has everything you might need as a family. A reasonably priced café, indoor space for babies, large learners areas. One main disadvantage is that the learners and beginners areas are at opposite ends of the base area, but other that, it’s an ideal spot for families!
Hanmer Springs
(Club Skifield)
Cost
Free age: Under 11 year olds
Full mountain: Junior $45, Student $75, Adults $85, Family $180
Learners Passes: Junior $25, Student $45, Adults $50
Parent pass available (Two adults ski for the price of one if tag-teaming looking after a baby/toddler)
Accommodation
The on-mountain accommodation is probably the most affordable in the whole country. Only $110 for a nights accommodation for 2 adults and all your kids. Plus pay for 2 nights, get a 3rd night free, or pay for 3 nights and get the 4th and 5th night free! This can make a 5 night ski trip cost your family $550 in accommodation! Plus you get to wake up in the morning right on the mountain ready to go. No packing the kids up and getting organised in the morning. It also means you have access to your bunkroom all day long for kids naps or grabbing food or extra layers etc.
The family bunkrooms have a double bed, plus either 3 or 5 single bunks. They’re a short walk away from the shared kitchen and lounge area, which is in the ‘day lodge’ building.
The generator doesn’t run overnight however, only until around 10pm every night.
Access road & parking
The road is rougher than some ski field roads, however a 2WD can get up to the top. If you’re concerned about your vehicle getting up, you can ask about getting a ride up from where the road starts going uphill. There are also shuttles from Hanmer Springs which must be booked in advance.
It is a longer drive from Hanmer, so I would recommend staying on-mountain for at least 1 night to avoid driving so much with kids.
You park right outside the bunkrooms.
Rental Gear
There is no rentals on the mountain – your last chance is at the Hanmer Adventure Centre.
Ski school / Childcare:
There are no set lessons, however you can pay for a lesson if there are staff available. These are only at the beginner level unless by prior arrangement, but also extremely reasonably priced.
Indoor spaces:
The day lodge is massive, with a huge upstairs too. You’ll never run out of room, and have access to a full kitchen with all pots, pans, cutlery, crockery, even if only up for the day. This makes is easy to cook a full hot meal for lunch! (We made homemade pizzas on-mountain and the kids loved it!) There’s tons of kids books and games, plus there is a good view out to the learners area.
With a roaring fire, it’s toasty warm, and just an amazing place to hang out.
Learners’ areas:
1x tow rope
The rope tow is the same as the nutcracker, except for that you just let go before the first pulley.
It’s very wide for learning turns, and you can just go higher and higher as you gain confidence. The progression however from holding on to the rope tow to using a nutcracker can be a bit intense. You’ll likely have to ski with the kids longer than you would at a chairlift ski field, as you’ll have to be towing them up on the nutcracker rather than sending them off on their own.
Rest of mountain:
1x nutcracker, 1x poma
It isn’t the biggest of skifields, but definitely enough to keep you entertained for at least a couple of days.
The poma covers harder terrain than the nutcracker so it is easier to learn how to use the nutcracker than to use the poma. The poma also isn’t suited to small kids as it’s a bit high off the ground. Towing young kids on the nutcracker would be your best call. After around 7-8yo, depending on size, the kids should be able to manage the poma on their own, however my daughter got the hang of the nutcracker earlier, at 6yo.
This one of the best ski field to learn how to use a nutcracker. They can slow down the speed for you, and with a chill, not busy atmosphere, you can get pointers while learning. I also find a nutcracker on the left side is the easier way to learn for right handed skiers, which this one is. There is a nice wide groomed run from the top of the nutcracker.
No man-made jumps, but a few good natural features.
Non-skiers:
Plenty of toboggans and other snow toys, plus a quiet atmosphere makes this an ideal snow holiday for non-skiers! Stay at the lodge, wake up in the snow, and play! Being a non-busy location, there’s plenty of space for the kids to run around and play.
Best recommendations:
The relaxed family-friendly vibe at this ski field is just unbeatable. You don’t need to be a skier to enjoy the place at all! Just go hand out for snow play!
With the parent pass, affordable accommodation, and massive indoor areas, this is probably one of the best ski fields for parents of babies and toddlers. There is no 4pm life cuts off time – you can easily end up skiing till 5pm or later which is great for tag-teaming. And if weather conditions permit, they’ll sometimes turn the nutcracker back on for night skiing by headlamp.
Super capable older kids might get a bit bored after 2-3 days, but it’s a great location for them to learn the nutcracker to get ready to hit up some of the bigger club ski fields.
I would recommend that every family visit this skifield at least once!
Mt Lyford
(Family-Owned Skifield)
Cost
Free age: Under 7 year olds
Full mountain: Youth $59, Student $89, Adults $129
Accommodation
The nearby Lake Stella accommodation isn’t suitable for families. You’ll have to stay in Mt Lyford Village. There is a range of holiday homes to choose from, but you will be paying $200+ per night. They do mostly have spa’s, and are beautiful log cabins so do feel pretty good value for money. You can often easily get 2 families into a holiday house too.
The Mt Lyford Lodge used to offer good backpacker accommodation, but looks to be upgrading to motel units instead.
Access road & parking
While a 2WD can get up the mountain, and we have on several occasions, we also got stuck quite badly and required a tow another time.
The road has been significantly improved since then, and is much more on-par with other skifield roads. It does feel like a very long drive however, so allow more time than you think you might need.
Rental Gear
There is plenty of rental gear including tiny sizes for small kids. It is mainly older gear.
Ski school / Childcare:
Private lessons are your only lesson option here. Starting from $120pp.
Indoor spaces:
The day lodge is a decently sized log cabin, plenty of tables and chairs to sit at, and good views. To watch the learner’s area though, you do unfortunately need to be outside as there isn’t a good view of it from inside.
There are kids toys and a small kids play space.
Learners’ areas:
1x tow rope
The learners area does have the slight disadvantage of being downhill from the lodge. This means that you can’t only go up as far as child is capable, and then let them down. Basically, if they loose control, they’ll end up at the bottom. And then if they can’t yet catch the tow rope, you’ll have to carry them back up the mountain.
Rest of mountain:
1x poma, 1x t-bar, 1x nutcracker
The beginners basin is lovely and gentle with a good gradient. It’s actually one of my favourite green runs in the country. Nice and short for beginners, and being a basin, they can’t get too far away from you by accident!
Plus the poma goes two ways – the green run way, and the blue run way. So if you’re looking after 2 kids and you’re on the snow with them, it’s easier to keep an eye on both. And the poma makes it possible for kids to go up by themselves at a younger age than they can on a chairlift or a t-bar.
The skiing area feels massive, and there are plenty of runs to keep everyone entertained.
There is also a run with a variety of jumps and terrain features.
Non-skiers:
There is a paid snow tubing area which we haven’t tried, but it does look like a blast!
Best recommendations:
The vibe here is great, and it feels like your still skiing in the 90’s (partially because of the chilled vibe, partially because the décor and everything looks like it hasn’t changed since they built it.
I find it’s a great way to ski cheaper and friendlier than at the big ski fields, but without needing to go to a nutcracker-only ski field.
While we have done it as a day trip from Christchurch pre-kids, I find with young kids it’s just a little too far to feasibly do as a day trip, especially if they don’t travel well.
It is a bit expensive for families compared to other fields now that they’ve gotten rid of the parents pass, but with a season pass or a chill pass it’s still an affordable day out.
Temple Basin
(Club Skifield)
Cost
Free age: Under 11 year olds
Full mountain: Adults $85
Accommodation
There is catered and uncatered accommodation available on the lodge at the top of the mountain. It does work out to around $500 a night catered for a family for a shared bunkroom, but you have the ease of not needing to worry about what to cook! Just turn up and ski! It is also much cheaper if you sign up to be a member. You only need to ski 2-3 days in the season to make it worthwhile.
Access road & parking
To get to Temple Basin, you need to walk up from SH73. This means there’s no access road, so you’re fine in any vehicle, but then you need to walk from your car.
You don’t need to carry any of your gear though! There is a gear lift, which you drop your gear off at first. Then park your car, and walk up.
Carrying a baby and a 3yo, and with a 7yo walking, it took 1 hour 20 to walk up, and 40 minutes down. Once at the lodge, you can ski from there right out the door.
Rental Gear
The mountain does have on-site rentals.
Ski school / Childcare:
There’s no lessons here.
Indoor spaces:
With a huge dining area, and if you’re staying the night, access to bunkrooms during the day, there is no shortage of indoor space. There isn’t too many kid specific toys, but there is enough around to keep the kids entertained. If staying catered, you also have access to the coffee making facilities all day long.
Tons of space for crawlers, and nice and warm with fantastic views. You can see the learning areas out of the windows.
Learners’ areas:
There isn’t a specific ‘learners’ rope tow, but you can catch the nutcracker up partway, and get off before you hit the pulley.
The better option for young kids is the hill behind the lodge. Just climb up and let the kid down. This can be great as the adult is not on skis so ready to catch at any time. Then once they’ve progressed, some of the nutcrackers do have a very gentle gradient.
Rest of mountain:
3x nutcrackers
You will likely need to tow little kids, but the terrain is gentle enough for them to then ski down it. Between the 3 tows, it’s unlikely you’ll run out of places to ski and explore. You could stay here a week!
There isn’t a built terrain park, but lots of features around.
Non-skiers:
The lodge is right in the snow and being a club skifield, plenty of space around to play next to it.
Best recommendations:
For kiddos, the experience of gear going on the gear lift, hiking up, and staying here is a must-do. But it’s best visited by families where the adults have some skiing experience already. (Unless you’re happy having a snow play holiday with any skiing done just a bonus)
Being so far away from civilisation, it’s amazing to stay a few days to really appreciate the magic of the space.
I’d recommend this for any hardy souls that want an adventure to remember and aren’t afraid of putting in the mahi to get the treats.
Craigieburn
(Club Skifield)
Cost
Free age: Under 10 year olds
Full mountain: Youth $40, Student $50, Adults $110
Accommodation
There is an on-mountain lodge, which is around 5-10 minutes walk from the first tow. It is reasonably priced if you’re a single, however with kiddos, the price quickly adds up. Being close to the other SH73 ski fields, staying at Forest Lodge would be a much more economical option with the kids. This makes your morning drive around 30 minutes, but would save you around $200-300+ depending on the size of your family.
Access road & parking
The road is in pretty excellent condition, and no reason you shouldn’t be able to get up in a 2WD.
Rental Gear
There are no on-site rentals.
Ski school / Childcare:
There’s no lessons here.
Indoor spaces:
There is a well-sized day lodge, however this requires travel up 2 and a half of the nutcrackers to get to. You can pop bubs in a carrier and then tag team from the lodge (Which does have amazing views). Or you can have the baby in the lounge at the accommodation block even if you’re not skiing.
If you keep bubs at the bottom lodge, there is just that 5-10 minute walk back up to the first nutcracker, so the top lodge is easier if both parents are skiing.
Both lounges have plenty of play space, and the top lounge does even have kids toys!
The top lounge has a café, while the bar at the bottom lounge only opens après ski.
Learners’ areas:
There isn’t really one. There is some runs that are marked green on the trail map, but honestly, they’re more like a blue at any other skifield. (They’re probably only marked green as they’re the closest thing to green on the whole mountain)
You can teach a kid to ski here by simply finding a flatter area and carrying them up, letting them down, and then carrying them back up.
Rest of mountain:
3x nutcrackers
The 3 nutcrackers are one above the other – so you can do long runs by going up all 3.
The mountain is definitely not a ‘beginner’ mountain, but families have brought their kids up skiing only at Craigieburn in the past (But people were a tougher lot back then!)
My 7yo had a blast here as there were so many nooks and crannies to explore. The terrain and the pow was amazing. And she even called it her favourite nutcracker skifield – but her 3yo brother was of the opposite opinion. It was too hard for him in most the places he wanted to go, so he ended up spending most of the day playing in the lodge instead.
Non-skiers:
Because the top lodge is only really accessible by nutcracker, the only non-skiing option is playing in the carpark/ near the bottom lodge.
Best recommendations:
If your kids and you are starting to progress to red/black runs, this is the skifield for you. The terrain is amazing for this. If your child is still a baby and you’re tag teaming, this can work, but wouldn’t be cost-effective unless you have a season pass or chill pass. For kids anywhere between, pick another ski field and come back here later.
Broken River
(Club Skifield)
Cost
Free age: Under 11 year olds
Full mountain: Youth $45, Student $60, Adults $105, Family $240
Learners pass: $20
Accommodation
The on-mountain lodge is at the top of the tramway. It also really adds up in cost for multiple kids, but the Forest Lodge is a cheaper option to stay at nearby. If in your budget though, it is an amazing place to stay.
Access road & parking
Because most of the elevation up to the skifield is covered with the tramway, the access road is actually only 6km. You will be fine in a 2WD car. I have almost gotten the car stuck on occasion, just before the carpark, but it’s always made it up.
Once you’re at the carpark, you then catch the tramway with all your gear. This itself is an amazing experience.
After the tramway, get your tickets at the ticket office.
From the ticket office, it’s a short walk past all the lodge buildings to the ‘stairway to heaven’. This takes you to the access nutcracker.
Here you do have the option of walking on the 4WD track instead of the nutcracker, however it will likely be covered in snow, and can be pretty deep after a good dumping. It’s only around 1km to walk from the ticket office to the day lodge, but can take anywhere between 20 minutes to 1hr depending on snow levels and how many kids you’re carrying!
If you take the access nutcracker instead of walking, you can halve this time. Pop kids in carriers, do multiple trips, have all your gear in a pack on your back, or get someone else to carry a bag up for you are all tricks I’ve learnt.
People are also extremely friendly, and the times I’ve walked up the 4WD road I’ve never had to carry anything other than the kids because people have always offered to carry up skis and bags for us.
Rental Gear
There are no on-site rentals.
Ski school / Childcare:
Group lessons are $50pp, or private lessons are $80 per hour. They do need to be booked in advance.
Indoor spaces:
The day lodge (above the access tow) is a little tight on space on a busy day, but still plenty enough for crawlers. There’s even a baby sleeping and changing room downstairs! If bubba has naps in a cot, this is perfect! Just remember to BYO baby monitor.
You have access to a full kitchen in the day lodge, but during lunchtime half of this is blocked off for making pizzas for paying customers. The pizzas are really delicious! Toasties and noodles being made are a common sight. The zip boil is perfect for making coffees.
Learners’ areas:
1x rope tow
The rope tow is an extremely good gradient for beginners. You do have to get up to the day lodge first (walking, or carrying kids on access tow) but then the learners tow is a perfect setup. Right outside the day lodge windows for easy keeping an eye on, and good pace for kiddos. Often there is some jumps and/or boxes set up to keep kids that are too big for learner areas, but too little for nutcracker, happy.
Rest of mountain:
4x nutcrackers
The Traverse Tow is a great place for learning a nutcracker as it’s usually only used to access the Main Tow, so not too busy, plus is a gentle green run. It can also be a good spot for you as a parent to practice towing kids if you’re not yet confident in that aspect.
The open aspect and view means you can see a very decent chunk of the ski area from the day lodge which makes it great for keeping an eye on kids. The easiest nutcracker is right next to the learners area too. The whole area makes it easy to keep an eye on kids.
This is one of the club skifields which feels like it’s got more kids around so good for them making friends to hang out with.
Non-skiers:
There is some space where you could snow play around the lodge, or if you’re super hardy, take a walk up to the day lodge for the view and a play around there.
Best recommendations:
The tramway and steps are an experience that you need to put on your bucket list. If you’re tough enough to carry your kids up to the lodge, then this is a great day out with all ability levels. If just staying on the learners slopes with kids under 11, all of you can ski for $20 for the whole day. Which is just unbeatable value. With the positioning of the deck right there, it’s a perfect way to have a chill snow day and get the kids confidence up.
Mt Cheeseman
(Club Skifield)
Cost
Free age: Under 11 year olds
Full mountain: Youth $57, Student $77, Adults $120
Learners pass: $20
Parent Pass Available (2x adults ski for price of 1 with an under 4)
Accommodation
There is a lodge right at the ski field base area, however they don’t allow under 3’s to stay the night. Forest Lodge is partway up the access road, and the next closest and also the cheapest option.
Access road & parking
The road is generally fine for a 2WD, however we have gotten stuck in a 2WD in the past. All we had to do was wait 5 more minutes for the sun to shine on the road a little longer to soften up the ice, and then we got up fine.
The carpark is however a wee bit below the day lodge. You drive up to the top, drop all your gear and kids off, and then go down and find a park with one person walking back up to the ski field the 5-10 or minutes. This is fine if you visit with young kids and more than one adult, however if you have multiple young kids who can’t wait at the top alone, you’ll have to carry them up if you’re flying solo for the day.
Rental Gear
There are on-site rentals.
Ski school / Childcare:
Private lessons are $95 per hour, and they sometimes have group beginner lessons too.
Indoor spaces:
The day lodge is carpeted and spacious. Plenty of space for the toddlers and crawlers.
There is a zip for instant boiling water for your hot drinks and/ or lunch. And a small tuck shop.
Learners’ areas:
1x rope tow
The rope tow is right outside the lodge, so easy to keep an eye out on kiddos here. The incline is extremely gentle so very easy for beginners.
Rest of mountain:
2x t-bars
The first green run is nice and gentle and good progression for learners. After that the other runs get gently harder. Basically, there is something for everyone skill-wise when learning. Many of the runs are also nice and wide.
Non-skiers:
If there is enough snow, near the carpark would be a good snow play area, otherwise at the lodge.
Best recommendations:
With no nutcrackers, this can be a more welcome ski field for some. Because of this it’s also a great first introduction to club skiing.
The green run here is much more gentle than the poma at Porters, so if your child is finding the learners area too easy, but the poma and/or chairlift at Porters too hard, then Mt Cheeseman will have much more suitable terrain for them.
It is a great first non-chairlift skifield to visit. With the Parent Pass, if you’re tag-teaming while looking after a baby or toddler, it’s the best priced day trip from Christchurch.
Porters Alpine Resort
(Commercial Skifield)
Cost
Free age: Under 11 year olds
Full mountain: Youth $89, Student $129, Adults $149
Learners pass: Youth $59, Student $79, Adult $79
Accommodation
No lodge right on the mountain top, but Porters Lodge is partway up the mountain. Downside though is they don’t have kitchen facilities, so you either need to purchase food in the restaurant, or you need to bring food that doesn’t need cooking. Forest Lodge nearby does offer self catering, or Springfield is only 30 minutes from the top of the mountain.
Access road & parking
The access road is fine and busy enough that you shouldn’t get stuck even in the tiniest 2WD. On a good day you’ll easily park right next to the snow.
Rental Gear
There are on-site rentals.
Ski school / Childcare:
Group lessons are an option for 5yo+, however these are only up to beginner level, and the 1.5 hour lessons are $105-115.
They do also offer a snow play lesson for under 5’s, if you want a break to go skiing yourself.
Indoor spaces:
There is no indoor space outside of the café where you’re only allowed to be if you have purchased food/drink, and aren’t allowed to be consuming other food/drink. Sometimes you can get away with this if it’s not busy, but generally they are pretty strict with this. It means if your kids need a break inside, you have to buy them a hot chocolate to have the break.
If you have crawlers or toddlers, the space is not suitable for them having a run-around as the tables are quite cramped in together. Plus the floor is vinyl and usually soaked which isn’t the best for crawlers anyway.
If you are in the café yourself, you also have no view to the snow, so no way of keeping an eye on the kiddos.
Learners’ areas:
1x magic carpet, 1x poma
This is probably the magic carpet with the gentlest incline in the whole country. It’s such an easy gentle slope that you actually don’t need to be skiing with your kids. You can just send them off to go on their own while you watch them from the sidelines. This is great as you don’t need to pay for a pass to ski yourself with them on the beginner slopes.
The jump from the magic carpet to the poma is pretty big though.
The main disadvantage is how far away the learners area is from the café and toilets. If your child suddenly needs to go, the toilet is miles away, and you have to run with ski boots on carrying your child to the toilet. Big thing to be aware of for those toilet trained 2-4 year olds! Younger kids I’d bring a warm change mat and just change them on the snow instead of lugging them across the carpark.
Rest of mountain:
1x chairlift, 3x t-bars
The chairlift run here is very difficult for learners. My kids couldn’t handle the chairlift run till they were at least 4 years old. Which was hard because at 3yo they would see the chairlift and be desperate to go up it, but if I did take them up, they’d cry the whole way down, and then cry because they wanted to go back up, but just not down!
Once your kids can do the chairlift run themselves, it can be a great skifield, however with not much in the way of terrain features, kids can sometimes find it a bit boring.
Non-skiers:
Outside of the ski boundary you can toboggan, but there are signs saying no toboganning in the ski area. I haven’t seen them enforcing it too much, so there are sometimes people tobogganing past the learners slope on the far wall.
Best recommendations:
Being so close to Christchurch, and with such an easy magic carpet, there definitely are huge pros to this ski field.
But with these huge pros are also a few huge cons. If your kids are finding the magic carpet too easy, but the chairlift or poma too hard, the best suggestion is to try another skifield and come back next year. Cheeseman or Mt Hutt would be the obvious local contenders.
With babies on a non-bluebird day, it’s a difficult one to do because there is nowhere to shelter from the weather except for inside your car.
My oldest loves going off on the chairlift on her own (as it’s easy for her to get on herself) while I look after her brothers on the magic carpet, but this year the middle child will have outgrown the magic carpet and poma but not yet be ready for the chairlift so there is a bit of a gap in terrain for the ability.
Mt Olympus Ski Area
(Club Skifield)
Cost
Free age: Under 10 year olds (with paying adult)
Full mountain: Youth $50, Student $69, Adults $99
Learners Passes: $20
Accommodation
There is accommodation both at the top of the access tow at the day lodge, (Top Hut) and around 3km before the end of the road (Bottom Hut). The accommodation at Top Hut only has fully catered options and does work out expensive for a whole family (Over $500 for a family of 4), but if you become a member, and volunteer 10 days for the club, this brings it down to $132 catered for a family of 4.
Bottom Hut is basically like a DOC hut. It’s self-catered at a rate of $25 per bed. There is an oven, but the place is quite dated and very basic.
Access road & parking
This is definitely the roughest access road out of all the South Island skifields.
As far as Bottom Hut, I would take a 2WD as long as snow conditions haven’t been too much. However past this, the road becomes quite bouncy with potholes. As far as the bottom of the access tow, this was rough, but not scary or too hard with a 4WD and one set of chains. The road is narrow, so it is best to radio that you’re coming up once you get to Bottom Hut (radio inside) just incase someone is planning on coming down at the same time.
Parking at the access tow, this is a nutcracker which you then need to ride up to get to Top Hut (the day lodge)
Later in the season once the snow levels start getting low, the access road is cleared of snow and opened up to drive and park near Top Hut instead of needing to make use of the access tow (nutcracker). This can make it more family friendly, however when we made use of this, I was regretting only having one set of chains on the 4WD and with the drop off to the side felt like I almost pooped myself driving. We made it, but my mum nerves were very on edge!
Normally this road is cleared by the start of the October school holidays at the latest.
From the top carpark, it’s around 5 minutes walk through the snow to the Top Hut. From the access nutcracker, you can just ride this up, get on the next tow, and then ski down to the Top Hut. Obviously, if you’re only getting a beginner pass, or if you have non-skiers with you looking after a baby, they’ll need to walk themselves possibly in deep snow to the Top Lodge if the top carpark isn’t open for the end of the season yet.
No shuttles, but you could hitch-hike the last section of the road past Bottom Hut, or even from the skifield gate.
Rental Gear
There is no rental gear here.
Ski school / Childcare:
There are no lessons or childcare here.
Indoor spaces:
Being a club field with a day lodge, there is tons of space, and some great couches to hand out on in the lodge. If you’re staying you obviously also have access to your own bunkrooms for baby naps etc.
The learners area can be seen very well from the lodge couches, as well as a decent chunk of the on-piste area.
There isn’t a ‘café’, but there is a tuck shop. You can also sign up for lunch which is a very decent cooked buffet. It’s $30 for non-member adults, and $15 for non-member kids, and basically is a very hearty hot meal. If the budget stretches to this, it’s very much worth it. There is otherwise no cooking facilities for self-catering at Top Hut.
Learners’ areas:
1x tow rope
The learners rope tow does have a pulley on it, so slightly more like a nutcracker, however this pulley does pop off very easily allowing kids to use it as a regular rope tow – or get on above the first pulley.
There are plenty of jumps, some boxes, and tunnels in the learners area. This is so amazing for keeping the small learners area exciting enough for kids who aren’t yet ready to progress to the rest of the mountain. Like my 3yo spent the whole day hooning over the jumps in the learners area without getting bored even though Porters he found boring after a couple of hours. He wasn’t quite capable to ski outside of the learners area here, but it wasn’t a concern.
Rest of mountain:
2x nutcracker (3 if you include the access tow)
Mt Olympus is mainly well known for its off-piste skiing here, however the piste is pretty amazing too. My then 7 year old really loved it here and found the variety amazing. She could get up to the top nutcracker on her own, and found the terrain challenging, but exciting. Plus there was plenty of variety for her to explore. If your kids are older and more capable, hiking up past the nutcracker opens up significantly more terrain, but make sure you have the correct backcountry skiing equipment and skills.
Non-skiers:
Without experience driving on skifield roads, I wouldn’t go past Bottom Hut. If there’s good snow levels, you may be able to toboggan and snow play here (And there is more than plenty of space for that!) But it’s quite likely that there may not be enough snow.
Best recommendations:
This ski field is one of those hidden gems that exceeds your expectations. But it’s best to have driven up other club skifield roads first (Or plan to hitchhike). Kids of all ages can really enjoy this one – you’ll just have to help the little ones on the rope tow. But if you’re only planning on skiing with little ones in the learner’s area all day, it’ll only cost you $20 which is an amazing bargain! And for $80 you could get lunch for 1 adult and two kids under 10 skiing on the learner’s area all day which is cheaper than just a learners pass for 1 adult at Porters or Mt Hutt. Just flick them an email to check the road is open all the way to Top Hut to avoid needing to walk up with your gear.
If you’ve got capable kids who are up to try the nutcracker, they will have a blast here. The learners tow can be great for getting the hang of the nutcracker before trying on the real one.
The whole area and the vibe here are just totally what NZ club skiing is all about!
Mt Hutt
(Commercial Skifield)
Cost
Free age: Under 7 year olds
Full mountain: Child $115, Adults $175
Learners Passes: Child $69, Adult $105
Accommodation
There is no on-mountain accommodation here – the nearest options are in Methven or around Rakaia Gorge.
Methven Resort can be the cheapest but there are no self-catering facilities. Methven Campground cabins are slightly more expensive, but do have access to self-catering facilities. Both options should come in under $180 a night for a family of 4.
Access road & parking
Being such a large commercial field, you won’t have any problems on the road with a 2WD (As long as you’ve got chains as needed).
Mid-week you can normally park close enough to access your car at lunchtime, however on weekends and school holidays, unless you’re turning onto the skifield road by 8.30am, you may have to park at one of the lower down car parks and catch the free shuttle to the base area. This does mean you’ll have to have all your bags and gear packed in a way that you can take them with you on the bus if need be. This can get quite tricky if you’ve got multiple kids, multiple skis, lunch, spare layers etc.
Rental Gear
Plenty of rental gear in all sizes. New gear, and specific performance gear options too, but at the higher end price-wise for both.
Ski school / Childcare:
There is unfortunately no longer a childcare centre here, however there are full day lessons for 4yo+.
I feel like the full day lessons here are actually one of the best value lesson options as you get a full day of lessons for the kiddos (or yourself) for $185 for the day. Full day is only 10am – 3.30pm, and you do need to pick them up for lunch (or buy the lunch add-on), but compared to a 1.5 hour lesson for $105-115 at Porters, this is much better value for money. My oldest normally gets 1 or two full day lessons here as a birthday present each season, and she really enjoys them. One of my tricks is to get the lesson last minute and mid-week when the weather forecast isn’t the best. This way for higher level lessons (Blue runs and up) she normally ends up being the only one in the lesson, so effectively gets a private full day lesson. Her progression after these is amazing.
The lessons are also fantastic if you’ve got multiple kids of different abilities with you. Pop 1-2 of the kids into a lesson and either you can make the most of actually being able to ski alone, or you can focus on teaching or skiing with 1-2 of the other kids. This is great when you’ve got a range of abilities to try manage at the same time.
Indoor spaces:
There is a massive café – well, multiple! Most of the space is reserved for café customers only, but there is a small bit of indoor space for those eating packed lunches. If you’re tag-teaming, then I find there’s usually space in the morning, but if you move during the day, you’ll probably loose your spot and might struggle to get another one.
If just inside feeding baby I haven’t been told off for sitting in the café area, but probably depends on how the staff are feeling. There is enough space for babies and toddlers, but it’s very busy even on a quiet day, so can be hard for them to explore inside.
Learners’ areas:
1x magic carpet
The magic carpet here is steeper than the one at porters. My kids could easily go down the Porters one without help at 2yo vs only at 3yo before they could go down the Mt Hutt one alone. But if your child has progressed off the Porters magic carpet, yet the poma is too hard, then this one is a great in-between.
It is also sheltered (in containers), so if the weather is terrible, then you stay warm and dry inside while riding up the magic carpet. Honestly this makes a world of a difference, and makes this a much better skifield option for poor weather.
Rest of mountain:
3x chairlift
Non-skiers:
Without experience driving on skifield roads, I wouldn’t go past Bottom Hut. If there’s good snow levels, you may be able to toboggan and snow play here (And there is more than plenty of space for that!) But it’s quite likely that there may not be enough snow.
Best recommendations:
This ski field is one of those hidden gems that exceeds your expectations. But it’s best to have driven up other club skifield roads first (Or plan to hitchhike). Kids of all ages can really enjoy this one – you’ll just have to help the little ones on the rope tow. But if you’re only planning on skiing with little ones in the learner’s area all day, it’ll only cost you $20 which is an amazing bargain! And for $80 you could get lunch for 1 adult and two kids under 10 skiing on the learner’s area all day which is cheaper than just a learners pass for 1 adult at Porters or Mt Hutt. Just flick them an email to check the road is open all the way to Top Hut to avoid needing to walk up with your gear.
If you’ve got capable kids who are up to try the nutcracker, they will have a blast here. The learners tow can be great for getting the hang of the nutcracker before trying on the real one.
The whole area and the vibe here are just totally what NZ club skiing is all about!
Fox Peak
(Club Skifield)
Cost
Free age: Under 7 year olds
Full mountain: Child $115, Adults $175
Learners Passes: Child $69, Adult $105
Accommodation
Fox Peak has its own club lodge, but it is only open Friday & Saturday nights. It's extremely affordable - we paid $110 for 6 family members. They have a set room
Access road & parking
Rental Gear
Ski school / Childcare:
Indoor spaces:
Learners’ areas:
Rest of mountain:
Non-skiers:
Best recommendations:
Mt Dobson
(Commercial Skifield)
Cost
Free age: Under 7 year olds
Full mountain: Child $115, Adults $175
Learners Passes: Child $69, Adult $105
Accommodation
Access road & parking
Rental Gear
Ski school / Childcare:
Indoor spaces:
Learners’ areas:
Rest of mountain:
Non-skiers:
Best recommendations:
Roundhill
(Commercial Skifield)
Cost
Free age: Under 7 year olds
Full mountain: Child $115, Adults $175
Learners Passes: Child $69, Adult $105
Accommodation
Access road & parking
Rental Gear
Ski school / Childcare:
Indoor spaces:
Learners’ areas:
Rest of mountain:
Non-skiers:
Best recommendations:
Ohau
(Commercial Skifield)
Cost
Free age: Under 7 year olds
Full mountain: Child $115, Adults $175
Learners Passes: Child $69, Adult $105
Accommodation
Access road & parking
Rental Gear
Ski school / Childcare:
Indoor spaces:
Learners’ areas:
Rest of mountain:
Non-skiers:
Best recommendations:
Awakino
(Club Skifield)
Cost
Free age: Under 7 year olds
Full mountain: Child $115, Adults $175
Learners Passes: Child $69, Adult $105
Accommodation
Access road & parking
Rental Gear
Ski school / Childcare:
Indoor spaces:
Learners’ areas:
Rest of mountain:
Non-skiers:
Best recommendations:
Treble Cone
(Commercial Skifield)
Cost
Free age: Under 7 year olds
Full mountain: Child $115, Adults $175
Learners Passes: Child $69, Adult $105
Accommodation
Access road & parking
Rental Gear
Ski school / Childcare:
Indoor spaces:
Learners’ areas:
Rest of mountain:
Non-skiers:
Best recommendations:
Cardrona
(Commercial Skifield)
Cost
Free age: Under 7 year olds
Full mountain: Child $115, Adults $175
Learners Passes: Child $69, Adult $105
Accommodation
Access road & parking
Rental Gear
Ski school / Childcare:
Indoor spaces:
Learners’ areas:
Rest of mountain:
Non-skiers:
Best recommendations:
Coronet Peak
(Commercial Skifield)
Cost
Free age: Under 7 year olds
Full mountain: Child $115, Adults $175
Learners Passes: Child $69, Adult $105
Accommodation
Access road & parking
Rental Gear
Ski school / Childcare:
Indoor spaces:
Learners’ areas:
Rest of mountain:
Non-skiers:
Best recommendations:
Remarkables
(Commercial Skifield)
Cost
Free age: Under 7 year olds
Full mountain: Child $115, Adults $175
Learners Passes: Child $69, Adult $105
Accommodation
Access road & parking
Rental Gear
Ski school / Childcare:
Indoor spaces:
Learners’ areas:
Rest of mountain:
Non-skiers:
Best recommendations: